Blade sharpener



Aug. 17, 1948.

J. KUZMA BLADE SHARPENER Filed Nov. 21, 1946 INVENTOR. n

Ass/w AuzMA ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 17,1948

2,447,257 BLADE SHARPENER Joseph Kuzma,'NewYork, N. -Y. V Application November 21, 1946, Serial'No. 711,253 I 7 UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE; f

It is an object of the present'invention to providea blade sharpener inwhich the blade is enclosed during the sharpening operation and which is safe to operate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which is simple in construction, durable in use, efiicient inoperation and economicalto manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention 7 generally :rectangularalthough the housing may:

will be apparent from the following description and from the accompanying drawing which shows, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blade sharpener in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View taken along the line '3-3 of Figure 1 and showing 'a blade in neutral position between the honing surfaces.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view corresponding to'Figure 3 taken along the line 44 of Figure .1 and showing the blade in position-in contact with the honing surfaces.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the blade retainer.

Figured is a side viewof the blade retainer showing a portion of the operating handle.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary viewtaken along line 1-4 of Figure 1.

I Referring to the drawing there is shown a blade sharpener I in accordance with the invention. The sharpener l comprises a housing 2, a guideway having runways 3 and 4 (Fig. 3), honing surfaces 5, 6, l and 8, a blade holder 9 and an operating handle iii. A

The housing 2 may be made of any desired materialsuch as plastic or-metal and is formed into an upper portion II and a lower portion H. The shape of these portions is such as to permit of production manufacture by the use of die casting or stamping. 'The exterior shape of housing 2"'i-s be formed .into any desired shape. The upper portion .1! is formed with a longitudinally, extending raised center portionihavinga recess [13, provided .with a slot 14 extendin almostzto the end of the raised portion, the distance:fromthe end of the slot to the end of .the'upperx-portion being slightly greater thanone-half the length of the bladeto be sharpened. 'Theguideway :is formed of 1 the pair of longitudinally. extending. runway surfaces 3 and 4;p0siti0nedz alongthe sides: of the recess l3. Approximately-at the -middle of the guideway the elevations of the runways are reversed-with respect toeach otherby providing an upwardly inclined portion 3a in onerunway and an oppositely positioned downwardly inclined portion '4ajin the-other runway. The .:.run'ways V at the ends of theinclined portion are horizontal with respect to the base or the housing. vi'I-he purpose of-the change in e l evat'ion of the :runways is to provide means for-lateral -oscillationsoi the-crosshead or-'bladehOlderQ. While only one change in elevation of theirunwaysis shown it is understood that many such changes may be made along the length of' the 'guideway orginlan alternative construction, a longitudinally curved surface may be used to provide continual :and gradual oscillation of the blade holder. The low-i er portion I? of housing'Z islikewi seformed with a longitudinally. extending recess l5 to-providea space for 'the 'lower portion =of the blade holder; The material used for the 'lioninginembers 5,115, 21 and -8 maybe of an abrasive materialsuch as stone, or maybe of non-abrasive materialsuch =as'leather, glass, plastic ormetal depending upon the -desired e'fiect on'the'blade. The materialfis made in thin narrow strips and is'inserted in longitudinally extending horizontal grooves "or slots l6, l1, J8 and 19 formed inthe housing; The honing members are perforated f-to coincide with passageways in" the housing adapted to receive rivets or'bolts z ll'through -ZElhOI-ding the honing members in position, and f holding the top and bottom portions of the housing-together. In some instances the'use of separate-honing members is unnecessary 'as' the honing surfaces may beforme'das a part of thehousin'gf The honing members are shown with sur-fa'cesparallel to the base of the housing although the lateral angle of thesurfaces'with respect 'to the base may be varied to conform tothe angle- 0f the cutting ;edge of the blade. Thehoning suriaoes are shown extending the 7 full length of the housing, although it "-is understood that the "honing sur faces need extend only partially along' the runway. The end of the runway at the front end of the upper portion of the housing is inclined at 26 to facilitate insertion of the blade holder 9 and to align a blade 28 with the honing surfaces.

The blade holder 9 is formed of a base portion 30 having upwardly extending studs 3| and 32 positioned to fit in the slot or holes in the blade 28. The studs 3| and 32 areprovided with horizontal slots 33 and 34 on their inner surfaces for a purpose to be later explained. A holding plate 35 is made of a fiat strip of material perforated to form openings 36 and 31 adapted to receive studs 3| and 32. The length of the plate 35 is approximately that of the blade 28, while the width of the plate is somewhat less than the width of the blade in order to provide clearance to permit the sides of the blade to contact the honing surfaces. holding plate 35 to receive the lower end of a supporting member 39. The lower end of the member 39 is made cylindrical to provide a bearing surface for its rotation in plate 35. The end of the member 39 is peened over to retain it in place. The member 39 also has a pair of laterally extending projecting arms 43 and 4| carrying upwardly positioned and rounded protuberances or riders 42 and 43 adapted to slide against runway surfaces 3 and 4. A thin locking plate 44 is either formed integrally with supporting member 39 or made separately and welded or otherwise attached thereto. Locking plate 44 is made of a thickness to engage in the slots 33 and 34 at the ends of studs 3| and 32. Ends 45 and 46, of the locking plate, are shaped to furnish stops 41 and 48 adapted to seat against studs 3| and 32. The upper portion of the supporting member 39 is perforated to receive a U-shaped member 50, the ends of which are received in an operating handle l9.

A stop is provided in the housing to limit the outward movement of the blade holder during the honing operation. The stop is formed of a thin narrow strip of material adapted to slide in a laterally extending slot 53 positioned a distance equal to one-half the length of blade 28 from the forward end of the housing.

In operating the sharpener, the blade 28 is placed in the blade holder 9 with the studs 3| and 32 extending upwardly through the usual slot or holes in the blade. The plate 35 is then placed over the studs, and supporting member 39 turned to engage the ends 45 and 45 of the locking plate 44 in the slots 33 and 34 of the studs. The blade holder is then inserted in the housing 2, the inclined surface 26 of the runway guiding the path of the blade holder. The blade holder is held in position by reason of the contact between the lower end of the handle Ill with the top side of upper portion H and the contact of one of the riders 42 or 43 with its respective runway. The blade holder is then looked in the housing by pushing slot 5| inwardly. It is preferable that the construction of the runways is such that in the honing position of the blade only one of the riders contacts the runway at one time as shown in Figure 4. The blade is sharpened by reciprocating the handle In back and forth along slot I4, causing the blade holder 9 to oscillate and alternately contact the edges of the blade 28 against the honing surfaces 5 to 8.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the present invention provides a reciprocating blade sharpener which is safe to operate as the blade is wholly enclosed during the sharpening operation. The blade sharpener is econom- An opening 38 is provided in ical to manufacture, durable in use and efficient in operation.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that other embodiments may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the form of the invention set out above should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a housing having a guideway, a blade holder adapted to be reciprocated within said guideway, means on said blade holder of members having surfaces adapted to be contacted by the sides of said edges, said guideway having a variation in elevation along the length thereof'to cause said guided member to oscillate and thereby contact the opposite sides of the edges of said blade alternately against each of the pairs of surfaces.

3. In combination a housing having a longi-- tudinally extending guideway, a guided member adapted to be reciprocated within said housing, means included with said guided member adapted to retain a blade having a cutting edgeysaid housing having'a pair of opposite honing members adapted to be contacted by the sides of said cutting edge, said guideway having a variation in elevation along the length thereof to oause said guided member to oscillate transversely during the longitudinal reciprocation thereof; and thereby cause the sides of said cutting edge to alternately contact the honing members.

4. In combination a housing having a longitudinally extending guideway, a guided member adapted to engage in said guideway, means to reciprocate said guided member in said guideway, means included with said guided member adapted to retain a blade having a cuttingedge, said housing having a pair of opposite surfaces adapted to be contacted by the sides of said cutting edge, said guideway having one elevation during approximately half of the length of the stroke of the member, the one elevation gradually changing to another elevation during a portion of the remainder of the length of the stroke to cause said guided member to oscillate and thereby cause one of the sides of said cutting edge to'contact one of said surfaces during approximately half the length of the stroke of the member and to cause the other side of said cutting edge to con tact the other of said surfaces during approxilignately the remainder of the stroke of the memer. r r 5. In a razor blade sharpener, the combination of a housing having a longitudinally extending guideway, a blade holder adapted to engage in said guideway, means included with said blade holder adapted to retaina blade having at least one cutting edge, -at least one pair of opposite honingsurfaces in said housing positioned adJacent said guideway and extending at least partially along the length thereof, said guideway having variations in elevation along the length thereof to cause said blade holder to oscillate and thereby cause one of the sides of said cutting edge to be honed by one of said honing surfaces during one portion of the stroke of the blade holder and to cause the other of said cutting edges to be honed by the other of said honing surfaces during another portion of the stroke of said blade holder.

6. In a razor blade sharpener, the combination of a housing having a longitudinally extending guideway, a guided member adapted to reciprocate in said guideway, a razor blade holder constructed to reciprocate with said guided member, at least one pair of honing surfaces formed in said housing positioned adjacent said guideway and extending at least partially along the length thereof, said guideways constructed to have a variation in spacing with respect to said honing surfaces whereby said razor blade holder is alternated into positions respectively adjacent one or the other of said honing surfaces.

7. In a blade sharpener, the combination of a housing having an internal longitudinally extending guideway formed of approximately equally spaced runways having an elevation varying with respect to each other along at least a portion of the length thereof, a pair of opposite honing surfaces in said housing extending parallel to a portion of the length of said runway, the elevation of said honing surfaces being constant, a guided member adapted to carry a blade and constructed to reciprocate in said runways, the variation in elevation of said runways causing the blade carried by said guided member to alternately be honed on one or the other of said pair of honing surfaces.

8. In a blade sharpener, the combination of a housing having an internal longitudinally extending guideway formed in said housing, a longitudinally extending slot positioned between said guideway surfaces, a blade holder adapted to be reciprocated in said guideway, means extending through said slot to reciprocate said blade holder, and two pairs of longitudinally extending honing surfaces positioned to engage the sides of a blade retained in said blade holder, said guideway on one side having an upwardly inclined portion at one point during the length thereof, the other guideway having a downwardly inclined portion opposite the said inclined portion on said one side.

9. In a blade sharpener, the combination of a housing having an internal longitudinally extending guideway formed in said housing, a longitudinally extending slot positioned between said guideway surface's, ablade holder adapted to be reciprocated in said guideway, means extending through said slot to reciprocate said blade holder and two pairs of longitudinally extending honing surfaces positioned to engage the sides of a blade retained in said blade holder, said guideway on one side having an upwardly inclined portion at one point during the length thereof, the other guideway having a downwardly inclined portion opposite the said inclined portion on said one side, the blade holder including a lower horizontal portion carrying a pair of upwardly extending studs having horizontal slots adjacent thev tops thereof, said studs positioned to extend through openings in the blade, the upper horizontal portion adapted to be rotated horizontally to engage in said slots and retain a blade in said blade holder.

10. In a blade sharpener, the combination of a housing having an internal longitudinally extending guideway formed in said housing, a longitudinally extending slot positioned between said guideway surfaces, a blade holder adapted to be reciprocated in said guideway, means extending through said slot to reciprocate said blade holder, two pairs of longitudinally extending honing surfaces positioned to engage the sides of a blade retained in said blade holder, said guideway on one side having an upwardly inclined portion at one point during the length thereof, the other guideway having a downwardly inclined portion opposite the said inclined portion on said one side, the blade holder including a lower horizontal portion carrying a pair of upwardly extending studs having horizontal slots adjacent the tops thereof, said studs positioned to extend through openings in the blade, the upper horizontal portion adapted to be rotated horizontally to engage in said slots and retain a blade in said blade holder and stop means adapted to releasably retain said blade holder in said slot.

11. In a blade sharpener, the combination of a housing having an internal longitudinally extending guideway formed in said housing, a longitudinally extending slot positioned between said guideway surfaces, a blade holder adapted to be reciprocated in said guideway, a U-shaped loop extending through said slot to reciprocate said blade holder, and two pairs of longitudinally extending honing surfaces positioned to engage the sides of a blade retained in said blade holder, said guideway on one side having an upwardly inclined portion at one point during the length thereof, the other guideway having a downwardly inclined portion opposite the said inclined portion on said one side.

12. In a blade sharpener, the combination of a housing having an internal longitudinally extending guideway formed in said housing, a longitudinally extending slot positioned between said guideway surfaces, a blade holder adapted to be reciprocated in said guideway, a U-shaped loop extending through said slot to reciprocate said blade holder, two pairs of longitudinally extending honing surfaces positioned to engage the sides of a blade retained in said blade holder, said guideway on one side having an upwardly inclined portion at one point during the length thereof, the other guideway having a downwardly inclined portion opposite the said inclined portion on said one side, the blade holder including a lower horizontal portion carrying a pair of upwardly extending studs having horizontal slots adjacent the tops thereof, said studs positioned to extend through openings in the blade, the upper horizontal portion adapted to be rotated horizontally to engage in said slots and retain a blade in said blade holder and stop means adapted to releasably retain said blade holder in said slot.

JOSEPH KUZMA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,019,261 Latta Mar. 5, 1912 2,008,025 Luxmore July 16, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 180,572 v Great Britain June 1, 1922 524,691 France May 18, 1921 543,079 Germany Feb. 1, 1932 

